A little bird told us

You may recall that we saved numerous words here recently by omitting the ones familiar to anyone with an anatomy. (See The Home Forum for March 21.) Now we hope to serve conservation by omitting a whole aviary as the saga of William (not his real name) continues.

By
Roderick Nordell /
May 10, 2002

At first he didn't know whether to be proud as a (1) __________ or mad as a wet (2) __________

He thought he had put all his (3) __________s in a row. But (4) __________ -eyed middle management made him eat (5) __________. He seemed to have the Ancient Mariner's (6) __________ around his neck. The (7) __________ of happiness was out of sight.

"Don't be a silly (8) __________!" he said to himself. He wasn't born yesterday. He knew the (9) __________ didn't bring him. And it was too soon for his (10) __________ song. He had hardly committed a (11) __________ sin. It wasn't his fault that anyone else had (12)__________ed out and failed to put a (13) __________ in a pear tree.

But he didn't want to be a stool (14) __________ or be (15) __________-holed as such.

Nor would he turn warlike or (16)__________ish. He might be only a (17) __________ weight. But he would not (18) __________ before the challenge or put his head in the sand like an (19) __________. He would say what he thought and not simply (20) __________ the company line, but he would be harmless as a (21) __________. And certainly he would never cheat people or, to put it another way, (22) __________ them (or, in archaic terms, (23) __________ them). He smoothed his (24) __________-black hair, put on his (25) __________-tailed coat, and slowly (26)__________-walked in the middle of the block to where he could talk (27) __________.

In this he proved to be wise as an (28) __________. He found that sometimes the (29) __________ in the mine shaft comes out alive, not dead as a (30) __________. One could be neither fish nor (31) __________, and still not be crazy as a (32) __________ or absolutely (33) __________. Ecclesiastes was right  the race is not to the (34) __________.

Suddenly he was (35) __________ of the walk. He had risen to the (36) __________ seat. Even middle management had nothing to (37) __________ about. Obviously, (38)_________s of a feather flock together. They all (39)__________d their necks to see him. He was happy as a (40) __________. The only problem was which blue tie to wear for the cameras, the (41) __________ or the (42) __________'s egg.